Red meat prescribed by GP

31st March 2006

A GP is prescribing lean cuts of fresh meat to his patients in an attempt to combat Britain's obesity problem.

Dr John Cannon, from Ixwoth, Suffolk, said that while the scheme is only aimed at those patients who have a weight problem, he hopes that the scheme will educate the public about healthy eating. The scheme is run in association with local butchers.

The scheme has been greeted with enthusiasm by the National Obesity Forum but health bodies have warned that lean read meats do not necessarily combat obesity. Dr Beckie Lang of the Association for the Study of Obesity warned consumers that they will lose all the benefits of lean meat if they fry it and that 'oily fish might have been a better option'.